Starks v. Hobdy
Starks v. Hobdy
Opinion of the Court
Opinion of the Court by
Affirming.
Appellant asks a reversal of a judgment sustaining appellee’s right to a passway over her land.
Appellant insists that as the passway ran partly through unenclosed woodland, and was not a way of necessity, its use by appellee never ripened into an easement. Ordinarily, that is the rule, but the facts of this case are peculiar. The passway over appellant’s land is but a continuation of the passway over appellee’s land. The passway is well defined. A portion of it is a lane fenced on both sides. When the land through which the remaining portion of the passway ran was finally cleared and fenced, appellant’s predecessor in title himself laid out the passway on the outside of the fence. In doing this, he clearly recognized the existence of the passway and appellee’s right to use it. From that time on appellee helped to keep the passway in repair, and he, his family and tenants continued to use it without let or hindrance just as they had always done. In our opinion these circumstances are sufficient to show that the pass-way was used and enjoyed as a matter of right, and the chancellor did not err in so holding.
Judgment affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.